Welcome to the Daily Dad podcast, where we provide one lesson every single day to help you with your most important job, being a parent.

I'm Ryan Holiday, and I draw these lessons from ancient philosophy, modern psychology, practical wisdom, and insights from

parents just like you all over the world. Thank you for listening, and we hope this helps.

The extraordinary will take care of itself. You want your kids to be great. You want them to

fulfill their potential. You want them to fulfill their potential.

You want them to be somebody to do something. So how do you do it? Show parents and sports parents

and tiger parents have beaten one path. They use pressure. They use force. They use expectations and

criticism and control. And sometimes it works, to be sure, but many times it doesn't. And when it does,

it comes at a cost. William Martin has a beautiful little poem that points to another path, and it's

worth reading here in full. He writes, do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary

lives. Such striving may seem admirable, but it is the way of foolishness. Help them

instead find the wonder and the marvel of an ordinary life. Show them the joy of tasting tomatoes,

apples and pears, show them how to cry when pets and people die. Show them the infinite pleasure

and the touch of a hand. Make the ordinary come alive for them, the extraordinary

will take care of itself. That line is worth repeating again and turning into a kind of parenting

mantra. The extraordinary will take care of itself. Show them a good life. Show them the ordinary but wonderful

parts of the world. The extraordinary will take care of itself.

Hey, you're listening to the Daily Dad Podcast, one meditation a day inspired to help you do your most important job, which is be a great father.

These are meditations inspired by ancient wisdom, psychological research, and just great strategies from normal dads just like you. Thanks for listening.